1200 Miles
by stuartpot
Summary: Continuation of 'Love Song for Poor South Park'. Stan Marsh has run away from South Park, in a 16 hour drive he finally decides to stop 1200 miles away in a hotel in the middle of nowhere. What'll he do now? T until later chapters. Swearing and sexual themes will be present.
1. He Has A Tooth Gap

What do you do when you're confronted with the hardest decision in your life? Do you sit and cry and think for hours, do you make a random decision and hope it all falls through, what _should_ you do? Hell, if Stanley Marsh knew he wouldn't be driving to fuck knows where in the middle of batshit nowhere. Humming along to whatever was on the radio, he sighed deeply. He could hear the shouting of nearly everyone when he makes those phone calls, dear god. The only one he can truly think of being levelheaded was, ironically, Cartman, the most shout-y douche in the group.

It had to be around 5 in the afternoon when Stan finally decided to stop, he supposed maybe it was his nerves but he had forgotten to eat all god damn day. Sighing deeply he prayed this place had some sort of restaurant, and low and behold it did. Getting out of his car he walked right in, taking a deep breath. The sky was already getting dark, the clouds that shrouded any light that would've came from the sun. Stopping at the front desk he waited until the employee noticed him, of which took a good couple minutes.

"Oh, shit-sorry! Uh, would you like a room?"The shaggy blond question, quite obviously startled by the sudden appearance. His name tag provided Stan with a name, 'Kenny'. Nodding Stan requested a room and asked if it was possible to get a table at the little diner connected to the hotel. Kenny smiled, nodding as he began making preparations. Stan watched, the other only seemed to be a year or two older than him, though why anyone would work _at a hotel_ was beyond Stan. As the two walked into the diner, the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke filled the now 18 year old's lungs like a disease.

"Here's a table, just uh look through the menu. There'll be a waiter to get you when you're all ready,"Kenny commented, smiling proudly. He seemed _happy_ to be doing this, and Stan was confused as to why. He didn't dare question him, after all what was he to say? 'You work in a shitty hotel in the middle of nowhere, why are you so happy?' wouldn't blow over too well with anyone.

"Thanks, hey uhm,"Stan began, knowing well his money was depleting much faster than he intended it to.

"It's my birthday, is there anyway I can,"hands made vague gestures, and for a second the taller blond couldn't understand before Stan finally spat it out. "I'm gonna be honest, it's my birthday and I have like, not enough to afford a proper meal. What I'm asking is if I can get a discount for my birthday,"Stan said, the words stung the other's pride greatly, but it was over and done with.

Kenny paused, breathing out slowly Stan could feel his own words backfiring onto him. He regretted it, truthfully, but he was being honest. After spending as much as he did for gas, and the hotel room, he was close to running out much quicker than he thought. Stan turned to see a smile showing his teeth now planted on Kenny's face, a light red dusting his features. ' _He has a tooth gap,_ 'was the first thought Stan let pop into his head.

"Well, we usually don't, but you seem nice Stan, so sure,"Kenny replied, nodding as he let the raven haired teen take a seat in the booth. Stan paused a bit, looking up with a tilted head.

"You know my name?"

"You signed in, doofus,"Kenny pointed out in a gentle manner, earning now a much more embarrassed flush from the other. _Oh_. Right, he did it fucking five minutes ago. Nodding, the two parted ways for the moment as Stan began looking through the menu. If anything were to make him feel better, it was food. Choosing randomly, the man allowed the waiter, a fairly nice looking teen, only a couple inches shorter than him, to take the menu back. Letting his head rest on the table, Stan hadn't realized how exhausted the trip had made him.

16 hours straight of traveling, only stopping for gas, Stan had yet to realize how long this trip would be. He didn't even plan to stop here, but the overwhelming exhaustion mixed with hunger forced the 18 year old to. Though, his thought process was stopped when food was set in front of him, and the waiter shook him awake. Guess he fell asleep, oops. Thanking the other, Stan began to dig right into the food. Enjoying every minute of it he could barely begin to want to think about how much more he had to travel. For now, he'd eat.

After finishing, and paying for the food, he began to go back to the front desk. Requesting the key, Stan went right to his room. Room 305, entering it Stan had to admit, it was much nicer than expected. Everything was clean, the room smelled nice, and best of all, it had free TV. Before plopping into his bed for a final sleep, Stan decided to make the calls he promised. After all, he didn't want anyone worrying much more than they probably were.

First was his parents, though he hesitated greatly. Deciding to say to hell with it, he dialed the number and called before he could wuss out. Though, the quickness the phone call was answered at made the teen jump.

"Stan? Stanley?"the questioning, near begging, tone of his mother made the younger man's heart both break and swell all in one moment. Taking in a deep breath, Stan replied slowly.

"Hey mom, yeah, it's me,"his tone was soft, as if he were trying to cushion the blow he was doing to everyone. Not that he could, truthfully, right now he was around about 1200 miles away from his own town.

"Oh thank god Stanley, we were all so worried!"the woman nearly cried out, soft sobs to be heard. Ok, yeah, Stan's heart was definitely breaking more than swelling. Oops. Smiling gently at the sound of his mother, he paused.

"Yes! We as in me, your father, your little friends,"though Stan had to admit that was mildly nerve wracking. Were they all there? were they all prepared to yell at him? Before he had the chance to ask any of the 100 questions in his mind, his best friend hijacked the phone. Oh no.

"Stan? Holy shit dude, are you ok?"the question nearly shocked Stan, he half expected yelling and ranting from the ginger. Instead the flurry of questions ranging from 'Are you ok?' to 'Did you make it anywhere?' and so on.

"Yeah, yeah I'm ok. I got to a hotel, got some food,"Stan said, nodding slowly as he looked out. It was raining, hard now, and he was quite sure it was some sort of sign. Though maybe it was just him being paranoid about the entire escapade he had pulled now.

There was a silence then, a nervousness filled everyone it seemed. Stan felt sick, truly, he wanted nothing more than to run away from the phone and not answer. He was determined, determined not to run away from his life. After all, he was already physically doing it, why should he get the luxury of emotionally doing it?

"Why'd you run away?"the voice was soft, then, and Stan knew instantly it was Wendy. A string in the young man's heart snapped then, he could feel his eyes water a bit as he kept his voice calm.

"I needed to get out of that town, you of all people know this Wendy. That town isn't for some people, and it wasn't for me. I knew everyone would protest and talk me into staying, and I would have listened, but I know I'm far enough now I can'd do that. I didn't want to leave you guys in the wind, and I'm not running away from my life or hiding it, but.." Words trailed off then, breathing in.

"But?"

"But it's time for me to move on from South Park. I don't wanna be in that shitty little town for my entire life, I love you guys. I do, and I'll visit when I'm financially able to, but for now I'm sticking to my guns and going,"Stan's tone wavered as he spoke, tears now running freely. They couldn't see him, after all.

"We'll miss you Stan, but we get it,"Wendy stopped the other's from questioning Stan further, instead supporting him. There was an obvious sad tone to her voice, but she was obviously set in stone with her comment.

Stan breathed in deeply, thanking her quietly they all exchanged goodbyes, goodnight's, and we'll talk to you in the morning comments. If there was ever a time Stan was thankful for his life back in South Park, it was now. He thanked them, muttering incoherently other phrases he felt fit before hanging up.

Exhausted, stressed, and now emotionally drained, Stan finally laid down in his bed. Closing his eyes, he tried to think of anything but the fact he was 1200 miles away from his home and in a hotel.

Maybe this birthday wasn't so bad.

Waking up at around 9 in the morning, Stan was pleasantly shocked that it was still raining. Well, pleasantly wouldn't be the word most people used, but Stan enjoyed the rain. Besides, the heat fucked his car up even more than the old rinky-dink thing was. Smiling sleepily, he sat up with a low groan of exhaustion. He was still tired, but he did need to get up and call his friends. As he did so, he greeted them with good morning's and informed them he'd probably stay another night to get some rest before heading out. They all seemed to be fine with, besides Eric who seemed to be bitching more about the fact Stan was getting attention. It made the man snort, rolling his eyes a bit.

Finally wrecking up the energy to get up, the teen showered, taking in the warm water. It was nice to lean against the shower wall and take in the feeling of the water, sighing deeply. He had a lot to think about, the biggest things being where he was going and what he'd do when he got there. He decided against truly thinking about it, he'd stop in a town that felt _right_ for him. Right now, though, the only thing that felt right was getting some food. Finishing up his shower, the teen dressed in a rather lazy outfit. Walking down the few flights of stairs, he ended up back in the lobby.

It seemed this place didn't get much business, given how empty both the lobby and even the little diner was. Turning to see if the blond from yesterday was at the front desk. Though, he had to admit he was a little disappointed to see it wasn't him. Instead, a bit of a shorter teen stood, looking bored as hell. He was much more baby faced than the blond had been, much softer features and he was a bit chubbier. Instead of walking right past, ignoring the other, Stan decided to strike up a conversation.

"Hey,"Stan greeted, smiling politely as the other nearly jumped from the noise. Stan paused, blinking for a moment as the other quickly regained composure. He held back a laugh at the other, though the snort that left made it obvious. Embarrassment swept through the shorter's face, huffing out loudly.

"Uh, hi, are you here to check in?"the shorter questioned, pouting ever so slightly as he crossed his arms.

Shaking his head, Stan offered an apologetic smile, resting his arms on the desk slowly. It seemed he was genuinely unnerved by the abrupt person coming in. ' _Guess they really are having a slow few days, or weeks, or whatever_ ,' Stan thought to himself.

"No! Sorry, I was just wondering if Kenny was working today,"he had to admit, he owed the blond big time for the discount on the food. Though the other shook his head, and a small frown tugged onto the teen's face. He was mildly disappointed he couldn't thank the other properly for what he had done for Stan.

"Nah, he won't be back until day after tomorrow,"the employee replied. Of course, it had to be the day _after_ Stan planned on leaving. Letting out a disgruntled sigh the other huffed and stood up properly, earning a slight wide eyed look from the shorter.

"Thanks,uhm-"

"Clyde."

"Thanks, Clyde,"Stan offered one last apologetic smile, turning to go he went to the diner once more. Instead of going all out, he bought the bare essentials. Same waiter as before, and he seemed to be much more happy to see the other was back. Going without customers for days on end seemed to be a real drag on the employees, evidently.

Eating slowly, Stan thought about what he'd do. He had barely any money left, and at this rate he'd break down in the middle of the highway with no more than a dollar in his pockets. He could always get a job, but a place hiring some run away? Yeah, because they'd do _that_. Pausing when he heard a slight commotion from the kitchen, the other looked up and raised a brow.

"Dude! Seriously, you can't just let it pile up like that!"

"Well I'm sorry some of us aren't exactly standing around all fucking day!"

"Oh shut the hell up, you know damn well I do just as much work as you do!"

Stan had wished in that moment he had stopped meddling, as one of the two people who had been fighting walked out in a loud huff, it was quite evident he was agitated. He recognized the second as his waiter, now watching intently as the first one exited the diner.

"Fine, I quit!"

"Good!"

Ok, _what_? Stan raised a brow, watching as the waiter whom had just served him stood there, sneering at the door. Of course, it clicked then, if the other had really quit, they'd need help.

 _ **And he needed a job.**_


	2. It's A MEETING, Not A Date

Stan watched as a fairly angry and aggressive teen rushed out, spewing out angry words and turning back to flip the waiter off. Only in turn, earning it right back with other shouted words. He had to admit, he felt decently bad wanting to take the job right after what seemed to be a big fight, but he needed the money. Watching the waiter return, rather anxious looking he paused slightly seeing Stan's stare.

"Oh, did you, uhm-"

"See that?Yeah, I did,"Stan nodded in reply, raising a brow at the other's nervousness. Probably a bad work ethic to let customers see that, but Stan wasn't a typical customer.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to,"the shorter said, trying to save some face. He was only a couple of inches, if Stan had to guess, shorter than him, and he was quite nice looking. Reminded him of Kenny, actually, though he had a more pristine air than Kenny's country one. Only after looking closely did the teen realize he had a few freckles as well, earning a slight smile.

"No worries, is he gonna come back?"

"Hell if I know-or care, for that matter,"the bluntness in the comment earned a snort from Stan, who grinned politely and looked over. That was funny, he'd give the shorter that much.

Stan smiled lightly in turn, the other's grin was enough convincing for him. This place was some place in the middle of fucking nowhere, running on nothing but the steam of it's employee's, and Stan needed money.

"Hey so, if he's not gonna come back, that means you need someone to take his place right?"

"Well yes,"nodding, the waiter raised a brow at the other's question. It was odd, but he didn't know what to truly reply besides his 'yes'.

"I need money, and you guys need a new worker. So,"Stan's hands moved for a moment, trying to find something else to say. There was nothing else, he had laid it out as flatly as he could and he prayed for the moment that it worked. The waiter's eyes widened for a moment, before a wide grin replaced it.

"Weeeellll,"the word was drawn out, only drawing out tension,"Maybe. My parents run the place, so I'll tell ya what. I interview you, and if you're decent, I'll give you the job,"the waiter's comment was enough to make Stan nearly jump. Instead, he banged his knees on the table, earning a jump from the other, right before he began to laugh.

A soft huff of pain, before nodding quickly while tears pooled in his eyes. Regret. God dammit Stan. The waiter snorted, patting his back ever so gently. It was enough for Stan to, sort of, regain his pride. Or, what little he had left of it.

"I never caught your name,"his voice was soft, given the fact he didn't want to show he was wavering due to the pained tears. The waiter snorted, standing up tall he was in much better view now right next to Stan.

"Token, Token Black. I'm gonna take a guess, you're Stan?"Token question gently, grinning as he noticed the raven haired teen's eyes widening.

"Kenny told me,"he reassured before the other had a heart attack, blinking slowly. ' _Why did he tell him my name?_ ' Stan thought for a moment before shaking his head clearing his thoughts.

"Nice to meet you,"he greeted with a grin. The two set up their meeting, before Stan decided to head out and back to his room. Given they were in the middle of nowhere, he couldn't exactly go out to a non-existent town and explore. Closest was around 100 miles away, according to his phone at least. Deciding to catch up on his well needed sleep, the young man went up to his room. Plopping onto his bed he set an alarm for about 2 hours before the meeting so he could prepare and call his friends to let them know. Letting sleep catch up, the man laid down with a loud sigh.

Jumping at the alarm, Stan groaned lowly as he placed his hand over his eyes. He paused, looking down his face flushed with embarrassment. ' _I had to fall asleep in my jeans and shoes, fucking really?_ ' he thought, groaning once more before he sat up. It was only about 1 in the afternoon, so truthfully Stan hadn't gotten much sleep at all, but he needed to shower and redress once more beforehand.

Then it hit him, he had to call his friends. He knew well they'd worry, taking up a job in a place that had no other building for a good 50 or so miles definitely was a little risky. Even still, Stan was definitely trying it. He needed the money, and more over, he felt oddly at home in this place. It wasn't like South Park, where everything was always going on and making him nervous.

This place was different, it was a place that he could relax and settle down in. Not to mention, all of his possible coworkers were definitely sights for sore eyes.

Kenny was like a supermodel, reaching his height the blond was slim while maintaining some muscle, bright eyes that sparkled, and a smile that could kill. Not to mention the freckles that littered his face, after all. Then there was the tiny little tooth gap, something to set him aside and make his smile that much more unique.

Then there was Clyde, a fairly short kid with fluffy brown hair and an odd sense of style, though he made up for it with his adorable face and chubby cheeks. More chubby than the other two of his workers, he looked much more youthful and 'adorable'. Though he definitely was in the running of attractive, as his mischievous grin gave much more away.

Finally, Token, the waiter. Only a few inches shorter than Stan, he definitely matched Kenny in the handsome department. Fit, muscular, he had to have played some sort of sport, and the very subtle freckles that hid among his face was definitely a nice touch. Wide eyes that shine, a grin that showed only laughter and fun times, and his laugh. Oh boy, his _laugh._

Stan was quite sure he was going to be happy here, even if it meant he was awkwardly trying to get around his little school-girl crush on all three of them. Pausing his thoughts to look over at the phone, he sighed slowly and began to dial. He'd have to answer a lot more questions than he was prepared to.

First off, was Kyle. He hadn't gotten a proper chance to talk to his super best friend, and now was the best time. While he was in a good mood over his possible future coworkers and the possibility of being able to stay in a hotel for work. Waiting, he finally picked up.

"Kyle Broflovski speaking."

"Collar ID ain't a thing anymore, dude?"

"Stan! I didn't have your shitty hotel's number saved,"the red head replied with a joking manner, snorting as Stan laughed lightly.

"Oh come on, it's not shitty. It's actually really nice, clean and all. And the food's amazing,"Stan commented, laughing in turn as he could _hear_ Kyle groan and roll his eyes.

"Seriously? Is it that nice or is there someone holding you hostage and making you say that?"

"You caught me, the manager's son is holding a gun to my head and making me say it's an amazing place. It's all over now, you killed me Kyle,"Stan's sarcasm dripped in his words, earning a 'fuck you' in turn, with light laughs. He had to admit, it was nice to talk to his best friend again without other people interrupting them over the phone, and without his parents listening in on it.

The talk was small, awkward, something the two definitely didn't like. There was talk of weather, Ike's first couple of days at school, and how everything was going. Then Kyle began questioning what he was doing now, what he would be doing.

"I'm uh, gonna meet with the manager's kid. Token, he seems cool. He's only a couple inches shorter than me,"Stan avoided describing him, he'd slip up and make the horrible mistake of letting Kyle know he had a thing for anyone here. Let alone the _three_ 'anyone's here.

"What's he like?"

"He's pretty nice, he got into a fight with the chef or whatever I think. He offered me a job if I impress him tonight."

"Stanley's got a _date_ with his possible manager's kid?"The tone Kyle took then was enough to make Stan's face burn red, groaning loudly and angrily he wished he could flip his best friend off. What an **asshole**. Though, he wasn't _wrong_ per se. Just, misguided in his comment.

"No! It's purely fucking business, we're just gonna have dinner and talk about it,"Stan replied, though during it his words slowed. Ok, so maybe it did sound like a date, but it was a business date! Nothing more, nothing less.

"Have fun on your date Stan,"Kyle replied, before Stan could deny it once more the ginger hung up. Groaning out in frustration Stan laid back, sighing deeply. _God dammit_.

It wasn't a date, no, that was just Kyle teasing him. Obviously! He had nothing to worry about, why did he even think he had something to worry about? Pff, he was fine. Preparing for the d-meeting. Meeting. Stan was preparing for the _meeting_ and he was quiet excited, actually. Not only for the prospect of a new job, but the fact he'd get to make a friend.

Now, it was time to actually make it through the meeting. _**Oh no.**_


End file.
